State climate adaptation policy and forest management case studies in the American West: Colorado and Washington State
Date
2024
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Abstract
Climate change and past management practices are impacting and creating hazards for forests and forest-adjacent landscapes and communities. State governments are considered leaders in climate policy and increasingly are facilitating a state-led response to observed and predicted future impacts from climate-related hazards. Hazards and risks to forests and forest-adjacent communities include wildfire, insects and disease, drought, and a loss of economic and social goods and amenities. Adaptation facilitates a response to risks and provides opportunities to adjust to and become resilient to current and future hazards. Utilizing a qualitative approach and a policy design framework, my research had two primary objectives: characterize state-level natural resource adaptation goals and objectives for forests and how these efforts are implemented by state agencies and with other actors (e.g., collaborative groups and non-governmental organizations (NGO's), other government entities, industrial and private forestry, etc.); and analyze the policy design utilized to address climate hazards through climate adaptation for forested landscapes. I interviewed 43 individuals, including state-level policy decisionmakers, federal and state land managers, local governments and utilities, industrial and private forestry entities, collaborative groups and NGO's, academics and practitioners from universities, other forestry-related professionals, and key partners. This thesis explores state climate adaptation policies for forested landscapes in Colorado and Washington State through four chapters. Chapter 1 consists of a brief introduction to this study, including a literature review on relevant climate-induced impacts to forests and forest-adjacent lands, state-level climate adaptation planning, and policy design theory, along with other intersecting and sensitizing concepts important to facilitating a thorough and holistic approach towards climate adaptation. Chapter 2 is a practitioner report intended for federal and state policy decisionmakers, land managers and practitioners, and land management partners. In this chapter, I discuss key research findings and offer recommendations based on research outcomes. Chapter 3 highlights research findings in a product intended for a peer-reviewed journal utilizing the policy design framework. This chapter focuses only on findings from Washington State. Chapter 4 highlights the overall findings from this study, discusses study limitations, and offers recommendations for future research exploration. My thesis contributes to the novel and growing area of literature working to understand climate adaptation and the role that state governments have in facilitating a future's thinking approach and response to climate hazards, particularly for forested and forest-adjacent landscapes and communities. The insights from my work help to inform policy decision-makers and land management practitioners on how states are facilitating climate adaptation through state policy, how states are working to implement climate adaptation actions, the perceptions of state climate adaptation policy, and the potential areas of growth and opportunity for climate adaptation efforts on forested lands. There are still gaps in knowledge that exist for state-related climate and adaptation policies, including how states are incorporating pillars such as equity and environmental justice, how recent federal law, legislation, and funding have increased or facilitated climate adaptation implementation through state partnerships, and future research can further explore how states are working across boundaries to address climate hazards through adaptation.
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Subject
climate adaptation
policy design
adaptive management
state government
forest adaptation